The Last Of Us is a game that our own Nathan Birch was worried would flop this year. But that was before we played it. It’s in no danger of flopping; it’s simply too good for that to happen. Which doesn’t mean, however, that it’s perfect: Here’s what Naughty Dog did right… and what went wrong.

It’s Possibly One Of The Best-Written Games In Recent Memory

The game isn’t immune to some zombie cliches: No points for guessing why Joel winds up taking Ellie across the country. But by and large, it’s well-characterized; Ellie is very much a teenage girl, and Joel’s not always nice to her. The tutorial in particular does a superb job of explaining Joel’s mindset and why, twenty years later, an essentially decent man has become a violent petty criminal with a fairly high body count.

The game’s environments are also filled with hints about what happened in a specific area, or to a specific person. Some of the darkest moments in the game are shown to you as you scavenge.

In Most Situations, You Can Play It Your Way…

Although the game will occasionally force you into a battle situation, or a moment where you have to run if you want to stay alive, most of the time how you play it is up to you. You can sneak past the enemy, you can shoot it out, you can choke them to death one-by-one, you can mix and match.

…And If That Goes Wrong, You Can Wing It And Not Get Killed.

Unlike a lot of games where stealth is a major component, if your plan goes off the rails, you can still generally get out of the situation without dying. You can sprint behind cover, herd enemies into a bottleneck, blast your way out, and survive.

The tools the game gives you are so balanced, so effective, that you can swap strategies and feel like a cross between Mad Max and Batman; it’s that thrilling and cathartic. Speaking of which…

All Of Your Weapons Are Useful, And You Want To Use Them

Most games have weapons that either suck, or just aren’t as effective as others, so you tend to stick with a handful. Here, every weapon has benefits that suit it for different situations. For example, if a group of enemies are bunched together, a Molotov cocktail will wipe ’em out. If they’re advancing on your position, throw a smoke bomb. If you need to knock an enemy off-balance, dope slap them from a distance with a brick (which is far, far more comedic than Naughty Dog was probably intending, but hey, as a strategy, it works).

More than that, though, every weapon has a different heft, a different feel. And sometimes you get so immersed in the story you become genuinely angry. There will be a few times where you choose to do this:

Not because it’s the best way to do it, but because the guy in question has it coming.

The Enemy AI Is Challenging But Doesn’t Cheat

Enemies are not shy about hunting you; human enemies will flank you, hide, lay traps and ambushes, and have all types of weapons to use on you, for example. But the game doesn’t generally drop some BS out of nowhere; you’ll see enemies coming, as a rule, unless everything goes to hell and you get swarmed.

But not every game is perfect, and as you play through the game presents a few problems.

And any enemy you can walk right past (albeit slowly) can’t be overpowered. And if they do see you, back up and throw a molotov.

The main thing that irks me is the enemies spawing from no where and how unrealistic looting enemies is. Like I just had a shootout with 5 dudes and get over to their bodies and only one guy had 2 shotgun bullets? I get why they had to do it this way but still it irks me.

it’s just random, Derek. I get what you mean about it not feeling “realistic” but the game doesn’t want you to have an insane amount of supplies. like Resident Evil, ammo is supposed to be few and far between.

Yeah, the looting is definitely my biggest issue with the game. I really wish the game rewarded you more for killing enemies without using any resources, by allowing you to pick up the ammo/weapons they had on them. Not all human enemies carry guns, but the ones that do will rarely drop anything, unless you shoot them. It makes sense from a balancing standpoint, keeping the players who use their guns happy by giving them ammo, but I wish I could stockpile a bit of ammo for the next infected encounter by stealthily dispatching all of the human enemies whenever possible.

Naughty Dog games just aren’t for me, it seems. This one suffers though the same things that I didn’t like about the Uncharted series: the funneling to what essentially amounts to arena after arena, the quick-time events, the below average combat. It all comes down to personal preference, but story matters less to me in gaming; I don’t like to feel like I’m simply playing a character in a movie, even a well written one.

I got through about 40% of Last of Us and by then it felt like a chore.

And in regards to the quicktime events, they are at least always in context, it never asks you to press any buttons other than attack when you are fighting. Mashing Square during a fight makes sense, which is a lot different than a game with worse QTE’s where you have to suddenly press a bunch of different random buttons (Remember Me being the most recent example).

mostly agree with this commentary.
for the most part this game is absolutely GORGEOUS (at times I was just staring blankly at the screen with my jaw wide open. especially the part where they first get to the forest after the capitol building, for those that have gotten there.) and super fun to explore through. the remnants of the cities are beautifully designed.

what was frustrating to me from the get-go was the difficulty with the enemies (the zombies or not-zombies or whatever-the-fuck). from the first main area where you had to take care of multiple enemies at once (which I believe was a dark main floor in that semi-collapsed office building) I just kept dying. I actually had to change the difficulty from “normal” to “easy” just to get through the damn thing, which made me feel like I was a damn child. very frustrating. and when I get too frustrated in a game and can’t get through a board, many times I just put the damn thing down and never pick it back up again out of pure frustration. games are meant to be *played*, it shouldn’t be THAT much of a challenge.
also with the enemies, I found it confusing which ones you can attack and which ones you can’t. so you CAN’T go behind clickers and strangle them… but you can still shiv them… some you can’t sneak around, some you can… it’s all very frustrating. I have a feeling this game is going to have way too many enemies to contend with, when all you want to do is explore and experience the story.

another aspect that had me a bit angry was the “not being able to figure out where the fuck I need to go” part of the game. I’d like to think I’m a pretty smart guy and I can usually figure things out quicker than other people in games, but in certain boards I was just running around for way too long trying to figure out exactly where I’m supposed to be going. no compass, no markers, nothing. I actually had to go online and check out video walkthroughs TWICE during my playthrough yesterday. once is too much.

other than that though, I’m absolutely loving this game. the performances of the actors are excellent, too.

SPOILERS: Just go slowly, take out each runner as silently as you can, and remember that the Clicker can’t see you. Take out the runner that is roaming in the side room, turn around take out the runner that the Clicker is facing, then head to the right and take out the runner that is not moving. After that, you can sneak up to and stab the clicker, and then all you have left is the last runner. Take out your frustration and use your fists. Done and done.

1. Clickers are very, very dangerous, they are supposed to be, but you can still run faster than they can. It’s not wise to get in a confrontation around them, and there are very few instances where that happens without you making a mistake. You just have to be very careful around them, and most can be killed without issue by sneaking up to them, and running away if they start to get close. Shoot them in the head and make sure you have a good melee weapon, and you can dispatch them easily.

2. The game establishes that the longer someone is infected, the more dangerous they become, that is simply the last stage where they start spewing out spores. I suppose you could consider them to be bosses based on where in the story they pop up, but they are just another form that the infected can take. They are used sparingly enough and in ways it makes sense that they would’ve advanced that far in their infection, and to kill them you don’t have to run around and “do a certain task 3 times” while trying to kill them, you just have to endure and survive.
3. The only time I saw an enemy spawn out of nowhere was during the level where you push the truck, and that was only because I was exploring in an area when I really should’ve been doing the task at hand.
4. Pay attention to Ellie. She will scout the environment with you and will often say something along the lines of “Hey, look over here”, well before you should be done scavenging the area you are in for supplies. The L3 button prompts for hints also pop up fairly quickly if you are playing properly and taking your time.
5. When was she supposed to learn how to swim? Growing up 7 years removed from the concept of a swimming pool, and never setting foot outside the quarantine zone, she’s at a bit of a disadvantage. Learning to swim takes time, and leaves you unable to protect yourself.

Dude, LINCOLN. There are at LEAST three instances where you have no choice but to take the clickers out while runners rush you. Don’t get me wrong, it’s exhilarating and crazy, but I’m annoyed I had to dump 75 supplements in clicker-stabbing just to get through.

Also, Ellie is useful, but she only goes so far and she does stick closely to you, so it can be easy to miss.

I made it all the way through Lincoln, on Hard, and had not put any supplements towards clicker stabbing until way further into the game. It’s definitely tough, but you can get through it without upgrading anything.

Picked it up on Friday and have only had a few chances to play, but damn do I already enjoy it. I’ve come to at least one major conclusion with the few hours I’ve had: It. Is. Stressful. But in that way you love, because it makes you keep trying and learning. There are also moments of pure fear in screwing up, but then suddenly being able to come back from it all and survive. And the beginning made me feel ALL the feels. Can’t wait to keep playing.

Yeah, watching them suddenly run after you just took down their buddy feels kind of great. And it’s not like you’re Batman; you’re a pissed off but still normal guy in a world that is being taken back by mother nature.

@Dan It’s funny you say that because that’s the entire point of the book “I Am Legend” which I thought this reminded me a lot of. I just bought the game but haven’t played it because I’m finishing Tomb Raider first.

My game was so glitchy in the prologue that I had to delete my saved game and haven’t tried it since. Very disappointed about that, but gonna try when I get home tonight so we’ll see. Multiplayer is fun though. It’s completely different from other pvp’s and I have enjoyed it very much.

I love it for all the reasons why I hate playing it. Making me do things I don’t want to do to survive. The constant fear of clickers mauling you. At times your just thinking…FUCK can’t these guys get a break? Slow down for just one min? I haven’t finished it yet and I am more wanting to finish it to see how it plays out than it is because the experience. As on of the reviews stated this isn’t a “fun” game. It is emotionally draining.

I definitely agree with the ’emotionally draining’ aspect. i’m the type of player that really wants to *experience* the game, explore, and check out all the really cool shit, and getting swarmed by a hundred hard-to-kill fuckers just makes me frustrated and pissed off. it’s not “fun.” as Dan said above it’s partly “exhilarating and crazy” but it’s also partly “frustrating and shitty.”

I really hope materials for molotov cocktails are readily available. I am still at an early stage in the game, but have found that lobbing a bottle against the wall followed by an molotov after a few clickers investigate the noise is a really effective way to clear a room.

They are there, but they use the same resources as health kits, so you have to decide accordingly. Some enemies will drop molotovs as well, and you’ll occasionally find them already made just lying around, normally near human enemies.

I found myself getting more enraged on the weaponless Ellie segment. Low health, no weapons and my double guessing on attacking an enemy.

As for bloaters, there’s maybe two that you’re forced to kill. Another two are in the tunnel scene near the end, but it’s not to hard to pass them.

Another segment that irked me was when you got split up and you had to take care of Sam. I messed up in that level due to not knowing if a clicker was a stalker in silent mode, and i alerted the entire horde pretty much. The next 7 minutes was me running around the room, searching for ammo, quickly making health packs and trying not to break my controller in stress.

The Clickers are only over powered if you’ve made too much noise and 3 or 4 of them are coming at you like in the orange line station. The ones in that house in Lincoln? You can literally stealth past them all and completely ignore them.

The second bloater you face in the hotel isn’t even a necessary fight. You can get the keycard, then turn on the generator, then leave the area with the keycard without even fighting the bloater.

Enemies out of nowhere? I can’t say I’ve seen it, honestly. If you use R2 for the hearing thing, you can watch enemies run up/down stairs or come through windows towards your location.

The unclear directions is annoying at times, but if you get stuck long enough, the game tosses you a hint. So not a big deal.

She is the last hope for humanity by being a cure for the outbreak that plagues humanity but her greatest weakness is water. I am pretty sure a majority of games where you have to guide someone they cannot swim.

Ps. Add me, Neiryu lets make some factions ;) I find it funny that I synced it up to facebook and it pops up with hot girls I know “Roasting Raccoon”

Was so excited to play this game. Pre-ordered off of Amazon but had to hold off opening it until Sunday. Turns out the game case was empty. Someone at the Amazon shipping department hoisted my game. Waiting for the replacement. boo.

Man, I hope there is a way to play this on ps4. I went for the 360 last generation, but the media debacle that has been the XBone announcement got me to pre-order the ps4. I might just get a ps3 sometime next year for like 100 bucks.

One of the greatest, most beautifully written games I have ever played. It’s disturbing and downright distressing at times, but I absolutely loved it.

-spoilers-

Giraffes. A giraffe showed up and I started crying. I didn’t cry at any of the horrible shit Joel and Ellie went through, but when a fucking giraffe shows up I had an emotional moment. And I’ve never cried at a videogame before!

I have completed this game and I think it’s absolutely amazing that I have even started a new game on the next level of normal, the storyline is great and even though the clickers are hard the main ones that are hard are the ones that are too far gone if they get ahold of you your buggerd, but by the looks of the end as I completed it it looks like there could be a second one as ellie is still the cure